Automatic shift control for printing telegraph apparatus



March 11, 1952 T. l. PRZYSIECKI 2,589,132

AUTOMATIC SHIFT CONTROL FOR PRINTING TELEGRAPH APPARATUS Filed Dec. 1, 1949 I INVENTOR I THEODORE PRZYSIECKI Lug-I74 aYfwby,

ATTQRNEY Patented Mar. 11, 1952 UNITED STATES OFFICE AUTOMATIC SHIFT. CONTROLJFORPRINT- ING TELEGRAPH APPARATUS Theodore L Przysiecki, Park Ridge'llli, .assignor to TelctypeCorporation, Chicago, 1ll=.,-acorp o ration of Delaware Application December 1, 1949,,Serial No. 130,417

(Cl. 1'Z8--2.7)

position. A. printer of the. type with. which the 1 present invention is concerned is shown in United States Patent No. 2,255,794 granted September 16, 1941, to Ross A. Lake.

In the shifting mechanism according. to said patent, the shift control bars are selected in response to two special code combinations of a five unit. permutation code. apparatus according to said patent is capable of producing a printed record and a perforated record simultaneously on a tape. Thus, the identity of the code combinations can be readily determined. However, it is desirable to print on the tape, symbols corresponding to such code combinations as a carriage return, shift, unshift, bell, space, etc., which were heretofore unidentified except by their particular permutation code combinations, to provide additional assistance in loeating these code combinations in the tape. To

avoid increasing the number of type bars, it is contemplated to utilize the upper case portion of the pallets to perform. this printing. To expedite the selecting and printing operations, the selection between the upper and lower case printing positions is accomplished. by controlling the position of the platen from the sixth code. bar, which is responsive to a sixth pulse. The sixth bar carries pivotally thereon, adjacent to the shift and unshift pull bars, a latch element or limiter. These latch elementsor limiters are efiective alternately according tothe positionment of the sixth code bar in response to the presence or absence of a-sixth impulse to permitor prevent the selection of saidpull bars.

A principal object of the invention is to. pro vide a case shift mechanism which isv responsive only once to each change in nature of a predetermined impulse of a permutation code.

Another object of the invention is to provide automatic means to limit the case shiftingv function to a single operation upon each change of case.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a case shifting mechanism comprising a case shift code bar and. a pair of case shift actuating bars a limiter for insuring only a single oper- Also, the printing ation of the-case shifting mechanism upon each change-'of'case.

A more complete understanding of the above and other objects and features of the present invention may be had from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

F'ig. 1 ispers-pecti-ve representation of thepree enti-nvntion embodied ina printer-reperforator device;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken through the code bars adjacent to the latch deviceor limiter according to the present invention-and Fig. 3' is a perspective view of the latching orlimiting arrangement according to the" pres ent invention.

Since the disclosure herein set forth is in the nature of an improvement of the printing per-- forating telegraph apparatus disclosed in S.

: Patent No. 2,255,794 referred' to-hereinbefore, only i so much of the mechanism of said patent will hereinafter set forth as is necessary to anfunder standing of the present: invention. Reference may be had to said patent for a iull'understanding of the printermechanism not described here The printed message corresponding to the per iorated record appears on said'tape: directlynover the hinged lids and remains fully readable; The

present invention, of course, is not limited to the type of printer-exemplified by the aferementionecl patent, but any printer to which. the invention.

is-applicable is contemplated.

As disclosed in the above-.mentionedpatent, the platen unit Ll over which the paper tape l0 passes from right to left is locatedi-n thefront and central part of. the apparatus, and comprises a cylindrical plunger 12 carried in a rectangular block [3' and is shiftable as will hereinafter appear.

Type bars M are positioned to the rear of the platen and are arranged 'for striking forwardly and downwardly. Just to therearof the type bars M is a series of notched. code bars l5. which in the present instance are substantially semis circular in shape. Actuating or pull bars. if for operating the type bars. ll (inthe. manner shown in U. S. Patent. 1,745,633) are located immediately in front of the code bars 15., and. are adapted to be pulled one at a timeinto the alignment oi notches in the code bars I when the notches are selectively aligned for a particular character or function. As indicated in Patent 1,745,633, the actuating bars I6 are articulated to the type bars I4 through a gear and rack means. The selecting mechanism for selectively operating the code bars I5 is of the sword-and-T type, fully disclosed in said patent. Briefly, this selector mechanism comprises a selecting or receiving electromagnet (not shown), the armature I8 of? which comprises a selecting arm I9 having abutments 2| and 22 which cooperate with abutments 23 and 24 of a series of swords 25. The armature lever I8 is responsive under certain conditions to the energization of the selecting magnet (for example, upon receipt of marking or current impulses) and under other conditions to the pull of a spring 26 (for example, upon the receipt of no current or spacing impulses). The swords 25, of which there is a plurality corresponding in number to the series of code bars I5, are brought into cooperative engagement with the selector arm I9 by their individual operating levers 28 pivoted on a common pivot rod 29. Swords 25 are pivotally articulated by a socket connection to their individual levers 28. Each of the levers 28 is Provided with an arm 3I and is normally biased in a clockwise direction about the pivot 29 by a spring 32. Arms 3I cooperate with a series of helically arranged projections 33 on a selector cam drum 34, which is frictionally driven by a main operating shaft 35 located in a vertical position at the rear and to the right of the code bars I5. The main operating shaft 35 is driven by a motor (not shown).

As fully described in said Patent 1,745,633, the cam drum 34 is initiated into rotation upon receipt of a starting impulse. The speed of rotation of selector drum 34 is synchronized with the speed of code impulsing so that as the armature lever I8 is operated in response to received impulses, a cam 33 acts upon its associated lever 28 to rock it counterclockwise to bring its sword 25 against selector arm I9. Sword 25 will be swung clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on whether abutments 2| and 23 or 22 and 24 cooperate; for example, if abuments 2| and 23 cooperate, then the sword 25 will be swung in a counterclockwise direction and will assume the position shown in Fig. 1. On the other hand, if abutments 22 and 24 cooperate, then sword 25 will be swung in a clockwise direction to assume the opposite position. After the sword 25 has been set in accordance with the nature of the signal impulse and the cam 33 passes out of operativ'e engagement with arm 3|, the lever 28 will be actuated in a clockwise direction by its spring 32, carrying its associated sword 25 along with it to impinge the sword 25 against arm 43 or 44 of a T-lever 45 pivoted at 46, thus rocking the T-lever 45 in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Each of the T-levers 45 is pivotally articulated to a code bar I6 so that when a T'-'lever 45 is actuated'in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, its associated code bar I5 or shiftcode bar 20 is actuated leftwardly or rightwardly, respectively, on studs 41 and 48. Accordingly, with the selecting mechanism just described, the code bars I5 and 20 are set select vely in their rightward or leftward positions in response to the impulses of a code signal.

As described in said Patent No. 1,745,633, the setting of the code bars I5 and 20 is maintained during the printing operation by a detent or look ing means. Accordingly, a locking bar 49 is provided which cooperates with beveled notches 5| on said code bars. Bar 49 is pivotally mounted and is moved into and out of engagement with said code bars as the striker bar or operating bail 52 is raised and lowered. The bail 52 is operated by a cam (not shown) on the main shaft 35, through a lever 50 articulated to a plunger 50 on which bail 52 is carried, in a manner described in Patent 1,745,633. When the bail 52 is in its lowermost position, it cooperates with the beveled edges 53 of the pull bars I6 and 49 to hold said bars out of engagement with the code bars I5 and 20 so that the code bars may be readily shifted in accordance with the operation of the selector mechanism. When the bail 52 is operated upwardly to perform a printing operation, the pull bars I6 and bar 49, due to the beveled edge 53, are permitted gradually to be actuated toward the code bars I5 and 20 by their individual springs 54. The pull .bars I6 are provided with a hook portion 55 which cooperates with the ball 52, which in its upward movement engages said hook 55 to lift the pull bar I6, which through the rack and pinion engagement with the type bar I4 causes the type bar to rotate about its pivot to bring the type face downwardly to impinge upon the platen I2. The locking bar 49 is not provided with a hook portion 55. Its function is merely to rock on its pivot toward and away from the code bars I5 under the control of the bail 52 to lock the code bars I5 in their set position during the printing operation.

The locking bar 49, while held in its position away from the code bars I5 and 20 when the ball 52 is in its lowermost position, cooperates with a series of bell cranks 56 to hold said bell cranks in counterclockwise position. Bell cranks 56 are provided with shouldered portions 51 through the instrumentality of which the bell cranks 56 are permitted or prevented by code bars I5 and 20 from rotating to their clockwise position. That is, if a code bar is in its rightward position, the bell crank 56 associated therewith is .blocked through the impingement of shoulder 51 upon the end of the associated code bar I6. On the other hand, if the code bar assumes its leftward position, the bell crank 56 associated therewith would not be blocked, but would rotate clockwise in response to spring tension and follow the movement of the locking bar 49. There is provided a bell crank 56 for each of the code bars I6. Cooperating with each of the bell cranks 56 is a vertical lever 58 which forms part of a series or chain of levers which control the setting of a plurality of punch interponents (not shown) as described in the aforesaid Patent 2,255,794, to control the operation of the punches in the punch unit 60.

Each type bar I4 is provided with two type faces, thus necessitating a case shift mechanism, which comprises means for shifting the platen I2. As previously mentioned, the platen I2 is removably held in a block I3 slidably mounted on a shaft I00 which, in turn, is slidably supported in brackets 63 and I21. Fixed to shaft I00 is a collar I26 against which the block I3 is held by a spring I28 surrounding said shaft and compressed between block I3 and a shift arm I29 also fixed to said shaft.

The platen II is shiftable under the control of received code signals through the instrumentality of a shift actuating bar (or pull bar) I14 and an unshift actuating bar I15, Platen I2 is shown in its unshift or letters position. To shift the platen I2 to figures or shift position, the actuciting bar I14 lsselected, in a manner :to be.

presently described, which when picked :up by the: bail 52 is raised to rock lever 11.6 aboutrits pivot I11 to lower its end I18 to effect the disengagement thereof .fromshift arm I29, whereupon spring I19 compressed between bracket I21 and arm I29 causes shaft I to be moved forwardly untilthe collar I26 thereon strikesagainst bracket 63.. .Since the relation between shift arm I29 and block I3 is unchanged, due to the compressive action of spring I28, block I3 is shifted with the shaft I00 to bring platen 'I'l into the shift or' figures position. To return platen II to the letters or unshift position (shown in Fig. l), the actuating or pull bar I15 is selected, which when raised by ibail 52 rocksv lever I8I1 about pivot I82, and in turn rocks member I83about its pivot I94 to actuate shift arm I29 rearwardly until arm I29 is again latched by end I 1810f lever I210.

In the prior devices exemplified by Patent 1,'l.45,633, the shift actuating bar I14 and unshift actuating bar I15 were selected in response to individual five-unit code combinations. Thus,

a selection of bars I14 and I15 was eifectuated w only when an alignment of notches occurred in the code bars I5. According to the present invention, the performance of the shift and unshift functions is determined upon the receipt of each code combination of signaling impulses by an added impulse, identified in the art as a sixth pulse. Thus, the five code bars I are adapted to respond to five of the selecting impulse intervals to thereby select the characters to be printed, and the additional selecting impulse interval or sixth pulse of each code combination is arranged to control the additional selecting member or shift. code bar 20, which determines the operation of the case shift mechanism. Hence the character selection and case determination are effected substantially simultaneously. However, the case determining bars I14 and I15 are actuated slightly in advance of the character determining bar selected, to assure the shifting of the platen prior to impingement thereon by the type pallet. Thisis accomplished by cating; the hook portion 55 on the case determining bars I14 and I slightly lower than the hook portions 55 on the character pull bars, so

thatbail 52 will engage the hook portion on bars I14 and I15 before it. engages the hook portion on the selected pull bar I6.

Associated with the. shift code bar are a pair of latch members or limiters I9I and I92 for performing the object of the present invention. Limiter I9I is pivotally supported on an appropriately located pivot I93 and is norm-ally biased clockwise by a, spring L94. Similarly, limiter I92 is pivotally supported at I95 and is normally biased counterclockwise by a spring I 96. As viewed in Fig. 3, the limiter I92 is provided with a downwardly directed fiange I91 which cooperates with a wide notch I98 in the shift code bar 20. The limiter |9I is provided with a similar flange I99 (Fig. 1) which cooperates withanotch 20I in shift code bar 20. Limiters I9I and I92 are, also, each provided at their respective free ends with upwardly and rearwardly inclined portions 203, the upper surface of which provides a camming surface for the upper inwardly directed ends 204 of the shift and unshift pull bars I14 and I15, as will presently appear.

It is observed that Fig. 3 is an enlarged view showing the relative positions of shift pull bar 114, shift code bar 20 and limiter I92, as indicated m Fig. 1. It is noted, further, that pull. bar [14 which will have a marking or current condition in the sixth impulse position, the selector armature I9 will be held in its clockwise position (as shown in Fig. 1'') due to the energization of the selector magnet. Then, when the cam assembly 34' rotates, its cam projection 33 will coact with thearm 3 I' of bell crank lever 28 to impart counterclockwise rotation thereto, which (due to the fact that abutments 2'2 and 24 are in engagement) in turn will impart clockwise rotation to sword 25.

After cam projection 33 passes arm 3I', the spring 32 will cause bell crank 28 to rotate clockwise, thereby causing sword to cooperate with arm 43 to impart counterclockwise rotation to T-lever '45. Shiftcode bar 20 is thus actuated rightwardly despite the fact that limiter I92 is blockedbypull bar I'M, because notch I 98 is sumciently wide to permit this movement. A notch or opening is thus presented to the extremity 204 (as exemplified by the dotted line 205) which extremity will be permitted to enter said notch when the bail 52 moves upwardly to engage the hook portion 55 as more fully described in aforesaid Patent No. 1,745,633, by riding up on the cam portion 53 which permits the pull bars tobe urged toward the code bars by their respective springs 54. As the bail 52 continues to rise the pull bar I14 will be elevated to the dotted position 205 (Fig. 3) to clear the inclined portion 203 of limiter I92. The movements of the pull bars toward the code bars is limited by the bail 52. Therefore, the clearance for swinging the latch I92 is assured as it is urged by its spring I96 to bring the inclined portion 203 underneath the portion 204. Then, when the bail 52 is lowered or returned to its normal retracted position, the portion 204 will ride on the upper surface of the inclined portion 203 and thus be cammed outwardly or away from the code bars, and will assume the position with relation to latch I92, as exemplified by pull bar I15 and limiter I9I in Fig. '1.

Conversely, as the pull bar I14 has now as-" sumed the position where its immediate selection is blocked by the latch or limiter I92, the

limiter I9I due to the rightward movement of shift code bar 20 has been removed from blocking'relation with pull bar I15 to permit pull bar I15 to assume a position corresponding to that shown in Fig. 3 where said pull bar I15 is conditioned for selection when the shift code bar 26 is subsequently moved leftwardly in response to the receipt of aletters case character which will have a spacing or no-current condition in the sixth impulse position. The spacing impulse will affect the selector mechanism to cause the T- lever to be rocked clockwise by the sword 25, to impart leftward movement to the shift code bar 20. Since pull bar I15 is now conditioned for selection by having its portion 204 rest against the inner arcuate edge of the code bar 20, and the limiter I9I is blocked against clockwise movement due to the fact that it is hearing against the side of portion 204, the leftward movement of code bar 20 is permitted because of the wide slot 2M which, as previously seen, is wide enough to embrace both the portion 204 and the flange I99. As the portion 204 is thus selected by falling into the slot 20I, the bail 52 is operated in timed relation to engage the hook portion 55 to raise the shift pull bar I to a point above the inclined portion 204 to permit spring I 94 to swing the limiter I9I clockwise to position the inclined portion 203 beneath the portion 204, so that when the pull bar I15 is retracted by its spring 54 the portion 204 will ride down the incline of portion 203 to cam the pull bar I15 away from the code bars to again assume the position shown in Fig. 1.

It is thus observed that the selective action of a pull bar I14 or I15 is limited to a single operation. That is, upon a change of case, the pull bar I14 or I15 is operated only once, and repeated operation of a pull bar I14 or I15 for successive characters in the same case is prevented. Moreover, in the case shifting mechanism including the case shifting code bar and the pair of case shift actuating bars I14 and I15, the limiters I 9| and I92 function to suppress successiveactuation of the same case shift actuating bar I14 or I 15. Thus, the platen unit II remains'in its shift or unshift (figures or letters case, respectively) position until a change of position or case is called for by the case determining impulse in the received code combination.

Although only a single embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, many variations which come within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. In a telegraph printer responsive to an equal length permutation code including a case shift impulse, said printer comprising a case shift device, a pair of actuating bars effective alternately to actuate said shift device to either one of two positions, a controlling member responsive to said impulse for selectively controlling the operation of one or the other of said actuating bars, automatic means operably articulated to said controlling member, and cam means on said automatic means cooperable with said actuating bars for limiting the selected actuating bar to a single operation to thereby prevent repeated operation of said actuating bars.

2. In a telegraph printing apparatus, signal responsive means comprising a case determining member, a case shift mechanism, a pair of actuating bars effective alternatively to actuate said shift device to either one of two positions, cyclically operable means adapted to engage said actuating bars to effectuate the operation thereof, a pair of limiting means operably articulated to said case determining member and effective to cooperate respectively with said actuating bars, each of said limiting means effective in one position of operation of said case determining member to enable selection of its respective actuating bar and in the other position of operation to prevent selection of said actuating bar, and cam means on each of said limiting means cooperable respectively with said actuating bars, said cam means effective to disengage the operated actuating bar from said cyclically oper able means, whereby upon a single operation of the selected actuating bar by said cyclically operable means, repeated operation of said actuating bar is prevented.

3. In a recorder, means responsive to permutations of code impulse conditions, a set of notched permutation bars and an additional bar movable under control of said means, a case shift mechanism, said additional bar being operative solely to control said case shift mechanism, means for maintaining said additional bar in operated position until a change is required responsive to a code impulse condition, a pair of actuating bars effective alternatively to actuate said shift mechanism to either one of two positions, cyclically operable means adapted to engage said.

actuating bars to effectuate the operation thereof, a pair of limiters operably articulated to said additional bar and effective to cooperate respectively with said actuating bars, each of said limiters effective in one position of operation of said additional bar to enable selection of its respective actuating bar and in the other position of operation to prevent selection of said actuating bar, and cam means on each of said limiters cooperable respectively with said actuating bars, said cam means effective to disengage the operated actuating bar from said cyclically operable means, whereby upon a single operation of the selected actuating bar by said cyclically operable means, repeated operation of said actuating bar is prevented.

4. In a telegraph printer responsive to an equal length permutation code including a case shift impulse, said printer comprising a case shift device, a pair of actuating bars effective alternately to actuate said shift device to either one of two positions, cyclically operable means adapted to engage one or the other of said actuating bars to effectuate the operation thereof, a controlling member responsive to said impulse for selectively controlling the operation of one or the other of said actuating bars, automatic means operably articulated to said controlling member, and cam means on said automatic means cooperable with said actuating bars, said cam means effective under certain operating conditions to disengage the operated actuating bar from said cyclically operable means, whereby upon a single operation of an actuating bar by said cyclically operable means, repeated operation of said actuating bar is prevented.

THEODORE I. PRZYSIECKI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,567,599 Kleinschmidt Dec. 29, 1925 1,196,378 Krum Mar. 17, 1931 

